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PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
8
pubmed:dateCreated
1998-9-3
pubmed:abstractText
IL-12 has been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of Th1-mediated autoimmune diseases, but its role in antibody-mediated autoimmune pathologies is still unclear. We investigated the effects of exogenous and endogenous IL-12 in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). EAMG is an animal model for myasthenia gravis, a T cell-dependent, autoantibody-mediated disorder of neuromuscular transmission caused by antibodies to the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Administration of IL-12 with Torpedo AChR (ToAChR) to C57BL/6 (B6) mice resulted in increased ToAChR-specific IFN-gamma production and increased anti-ToAChR IgG2a serum antibodies compared with B6 mice primed with ToAChR alone. These changes were associated with earlier and greater neurophysiological evidence of EAMG in the IL-12-treated mice, and reduced numbers of AChR. By contrast, when IL-12-deficient mice were immunized with ToAChR, ToAChR-specific Th1 cells and anti-ToAChR IgG2a serum antibodies were reduced compared to ToAChR-primed normal B6 mice, and the IL-12-deficient mice showed almost no neurophysiological evidence of EAMG and less reduction in AChR. These results indicate an important role of IL-12 in the induction of an antibody-mediated autoimmune disease, suggest that Th1-dependent complement-fixing IgG2a anti-AChR antibodies are involved in the pathogenesis of EAMG, and help to account for the lack of correlation between anti-AChR levels and clinical disease seen in many earlier studies.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Aug
pubmed:issn
0014-2980
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
28
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
2487-97
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1998
pubmed:articleTitle
IL-12 is involved in the induction of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis, an antibody-mediated disease.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Biotechnology, San Raffaele Hospital, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't